BILD-Interview with head of EU-commission Juncker | „History will prove Angela Merkel right“

Berlin – On Thursday and Friday, another important EU summit will take place in Brussels. BILD talked to Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission.

BILD: Mr Juncker, have you ever witnessed anything like the current de-solidarization between the EU member states before?

Jean-Claude Juncker: „Of course I would have preferred it if everyone had realized as quickly as Chancellor Merkel that the refugee crisis can only be solved through a joint effort – just like the debt crisis before. But the motto is often “every man for himself”! However, even countries that were initially very critical are now providing concrete help. All countries are showing their solidarity via the EU budget. We have doubled the funds in record time and have mobilized 10.1 billion euros by regrouping means.“

Juncker: „It is part of the job description of a head of government to take a stand and to maintain it while under pressure. Chancellors were always respected when they maintained their direction under difficult circumstances. In particular, I am thinking of Helmut Kohl’s far-seeing reunification policy. History has proven him right, and it will prove Angela Merkel right.“

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What would it mean for the EU if Merkel were no longer in office?

Juncker: „Angela Merkel will outlast all of her current critics in office. The European refugee policy that she and I stand for will be successful. It is a sign of political strength to say “we will accomplish this”. Everything else means giving up in the face of populists.“

Four eastern-European states want to close the Macedonian border to Greece. Will this lower the number of refugees at the German borders?

Juncker: „It would be neither legal nor politically acceptable to cooperate with third countries in order to close the border to one of our member states. We support the border security on both sides – the Greek and the Macedonian. We will only be successful if we work together more closely and cooperatively and if we do not destroy any trust. We must not risk Schengen and thereby also our domestic freedom.“

Do you still think that the EU will overcome the refugee crisis?

Juncker: „As was the case in the debt crisis, a high number of joint steps will be necessary in order to achieve the desired effect. Yes, it will take a while before the measures we in Europe have decided upon over the past weeks and months will be effective. But in Greece, the fingerprints of nine out of ten asylum seekers are now being taken. In September, it was 8%. Due to important decisions by the Turkish government, we can now see a reduction in the number of refugees in the country: according to Frontex, 7,000 refugees came from Turkey to Greece every day in October and 3,500 in December. Now it is 2,000 people. We finally see the first signs of progress.“

Chancellor Angela Merkel

Do you interpret the latest call of the EU founding members as a taste of a “two-speed Europe”?

Juncker: „I am happy about this affirmation by the EU founding members. Over the history of the EU, thinking ahead and proceeding ambitiously in everybody’s interest has always paid off. This is what we owe the Euro and Schengen to; two achievements that have been heavily criticized – but unfairly so, because they provided us with a high degree of wealth, freedom, and security. Many people in the world are jealous of that.“

How big is the chance – in percentage – that a Brexit, an exit of Great Britain from the EU, can be averted?

Juncker: „Our best experts are working on the most creative solutions in order to present Great Britain with a deal that is fair for the British, but also for the other member states. Despite the fact that, on the high sea and within European politics, anything is always possible, I am still convinced that the facts of the inner-European market, the EU trade policy and the global importance of Europe will speak for themselves. We need Great Britain in our European family and the British need the European Union.“

Could it be that the EU sometimes has to take a clear step back in terms of integration? Or that at least the next contract amendment will not apply to all 28 member states in the same way?

Juncker: „Europe does not operate like the dancing procession of Echternach – famous beyond Luxembourg’s borders – where the participants take two steps ahead and jump one step back. Due to the economic, foreign-policy, social, and demographic challenges that Europe is facing, we cannot afford this. Sometimes Europe might be able to take small steps or to take a break in order to gain a new momentum. We will need some momentum in the following weeks and months. The refugee crisis in particular shows that we need new, ambitious solutions for emphatic, joint actions. We need an efficient joint border and coastal protection in Europe. We need more joint financial means in order to care for refugees and for integrating them. And we also need, I think, a European minister of finance who will efficiently administer the European funds and allocate them to where they are most needed. In other words, we in Europe still have a lot of hard work ahead of us.“